Yahoo reports about a vast data breach: what should you do?

After several years, Yahoo reports about a huge data breach that affected more than 500 million Yahoo users. According to experts, this attack could be named the biggest data breach in history, leaving LinkedIn and MySpace attacks behind. The latest information reveals that hackers got the access to users’ names, dates of birth, telephone numbers, emails, passwords, and similar data. Fortunately, Yahoo confirms that bank account information and payment data is secure and hackers did not steal it.

The company claims that it has already warned all potential victims and informed them about this security issue. The company also advises users not to reveal any personal information or click on any links or attachments after receiving a suspicious email. Next, you should change the password, especially if you are one of those, who has been using the same password since 2014. Make sure you opt for alternative verification methods this time to keep your account secure. According to the company, people should consider using Yahoo Account Key which allows accessing the account after confirming login via phone.

After this hack, eSolutions wants to remind users to think about an advanced protection of their private information online. You should always create strong passwords that include small and capital letters, numbers and symbols (if allowed). Moreover, do not use common and the most popular passwords, such as “password,” “qwerty,” “123456”, etc. Security specialists suggest making a strange but memorable sentence and taking first letters from each of words – that’s how you can create a strong and unique password. If you are not a creative person, you can look up for reliable password generators online. Also, do not use the same password for all your accounts. For better protection, we recommend using two-factor authentication.